According to Schengen Visa Info, the official statistics for the Schengen visa revealed that the number of Georgians that submitted applications for a Schengen visa in 2017 was 75% less than the number that applied in 2016.

Did the EU play a role in this development?

Since March 2017 when the European Union removed the visa requirements for travelling within the EU, Georgians have been travelling to the Schengen area without having to be issued a visa before travelling. The action by the EU caused a general decline in the rate of applications for the Schengen visa.

In 2016 there were 106,024 Georgian applications for a Schengen visa. However, in 2017, the number dropped down to 23,354 applications. One striking fact is that the Netherlands rejected the highest number of visa applications, but it still ranked second among the countries that received the highest number of applications for the Schengen uniform visa from Georgian citizens.

Schengen Visa Info also claims that the German Embassy in Tbilisi received 4,444 applications from people seeking the Schengen uniform visa. Out of this number, the embassy granted 4,063 visas out of which 29% were Multiple Entry Visas (MEV).

The Netherlands embassy also got a lot of applications for the visa last year, but it was much lower than the number in 2016. The Netherlands, unlike Germany, was unwilling to grant Schengen visas. So out of the 4,348 applications from Georgians, the Netherlands only granted 3,095 uniform visas. The Dutch in contrast to other consulates rejected the total of 1,179 Georgian applications sent to them.

Italy ranked third among the countries that received applications for the Schengen uniform visa from Georgians. Out of 2,910 applicants, 2,543 were successful, making 88% of the total number.

Switzerland, Estonia, and Poland were the only three countries that got applications that were below 1,000.

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